Identity Crisis
by KatherineHall
Summary: Neal Caffrey has always hid behind alias, but now that he is working for the FBI and has no reason to continue his life as a con man, what will he do now? The main question in his mind is "who am I"?
1. Prologue

Nick Halden. Benjamin Cooper. George Devore. Steve Tabernacle. Chris Gates. Gary Rydell. All of these names are names of criminals who have an extensive criminal background. But the one thing all these names have in common is the man behind these names. Yes these names are all alias of one individual who has managed to con his way into the number one spot of a certain FBI Agent, Peter Burke.

Burke spent three years trying to find and apprehend the man behind these aliases. He was known for three years as James bonds and the man with many names. After three years Nicholas Halden, Benjamin Cooper, George Devore, Steve Tabernackle, Chris Gates, and Gary Rydell where all put behind bars when Neal Caffrey was trapped in a set up directed by Agent Peter Burke himself luring him out with the one woman that controlled his heart, Kate Moreau.

Neal Caffrey spent the next four years in a state penitentiary until he was caught again after escaping with only three months left of his term, giving him a full four years more behind bars. Unfortunately Caffrey had managed to con Agent Burke into releasing Caffrey into his custody for four years as an FBI Consultant, helping Burke and his team to catch the White Collar Criminals.

While helping the "suits" as him and Mozzie referred to them frequently, he managed to get kidnapped twice, nearly killed, become an assassin, lost the love of his life, had his heart ripped out, and almost shot. That was only a summary of what truly happened to Neal, but that's another story in itself. This story revolves around what Neal did and became after all of this tragedy I mentioned above. This story is set a year after Kate's death and the treasure scam. All of the aliases are laid to rest and Neal Caffrey enters the world of unknown with no real idea who he truly is, now that he has no alias to hide behind.


	2. Chapter 1

Neal Caffrey was sitting on his couch sipping his wine staring at the wall in front of him. _What had gone wrong? How did I end up here? Do I return to my nature or find a new path? Who am I? _As he was setting there pondering the questions, Mozzie had come in and started rummaging through the bottles of wine to find his favorite flavor. After choosing the wine of his liking he poured a glass and set down beside Neal.

_ "You're in dire need to refine and refill your wine collection" _Mozzie addressed to Neal while staring at his glass.

"_I'll do it sometime in the near future. Right now is not a good time, Mozzie." _Neal responded still in a daze.

"_What's bothering you Neal?"_ Mozzie looked towards Neal looking rather worried. Neal continued to stare off into space as though he hadn't even heard what Mozzie had said. This made Mozzie turn back to his glass and wonder if his best friend and partner in crime had finally cracked.

_Neal has been through a lot in the past year. He has had his heart broken twice and lost the one woman who truly knew him. Was that enough to make him loose himself completely or even worse second guess where his life has taken him? I would miss him completely if he was to choose a different road in life, but that would be more acceptable than him becoming this depressed shell of a man. If only he'd just fill me in on what he's feeling, thinking, planning…. Maybe I should talk to Peter? If anyone can get him out of this funk, it's Peter….. _Mozzie thought through his plan before he acted, slowly getting up from the couch he told Neal he had a previous engagement and would stop by sometime later that night. Neal never even responded, instead staring contently at the openly blank white wall that lay in front of him with the bottle he shared with Kate in his hands.

Peter was sitting in his chair working on the crossword in the paper, while Elizabeth was working on her next event she had to plan at the kitchen table, when they heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Neal he simply yelled come in before looking up from his paper to find that the person he expected it to be was actually the opposite. Mozzie quickly set on the couch in front of Peter and began rambling on about Neal and depression, or that's what he got out of the bits and pieces he had caught from Mozzie's rant.

_"Whoa! Slow down Mozzie. I can't understand a word you're saying when you ramble on like that." _Peter said interrupting Mozzie's rant.

_"It's Neal. Something's not right with him." _Mozzie replied slowing his voice down to a calmer tone.

_"What do you mean something's not right with him? How do you mean?" _Peter asked wondering if he should laugh or be worried that Mozzie was sitting on his couch talking about Neal acting funny.

"_I mean… I went by his place today as I always did about this time. He was sitting on the couch slumped forward staring off into space and holding on to the bottle that Kate left for him." _Mozzie started but Peter interrupted him again.

"_He's probably just going over everything that happened. He'll be okay Mozzie, Neal always bounces back." _Peter said with a confident sigh before going back to his crossword.

"_No! You don't understand! I know Neal and this isn't him. He barely even responded to me and when he did he looked at me as though he had no idea who I was. Like he looked like Neal but he just acted like a shell of Neal! I came to you because if anyone can get Neal back to himself it's you" _Mozzie yelled, getting frustrated with how Peter could just shrug this off when anyone would know this was completely out of Character for their mutual friend.

Putting the paper down, Peter looked at Mozzie rather dubiously. "_You really think something's wrong with Neal?"_ Peter asked as Mozzie nodded. _"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to go over there and have a look myself… Maybe I could get him to talk to me or something. I'll do that after dinner. Thank you for trusting me enough to come to me with this; you're a good friend to Neal. He'll thank you one day." _ Was all Peter said as he walked Mozzie out of the house and turned to his wife shutting the door he spoke: "_This isn't good? I need Neal at his best to catch this thief this week, I hope Mozzie is wrong." _ Before retreating to the bathroom to shower before dinner, and prepare him for what he might find at Neal's tonight.


	3. Chapter 2

After dinner, Peter helped Elizabeth clear the table before kissing her goodbye and heading over to Neal's. The door to Neal's apartment wasn't locked, so he walked in announcing himself, "_Neal, it's me Peter. You home?" _Hearing nothing he proceeded in and noticed Neal setting on the couch in the same position that Mozzie had described Neal being in when he had left. This was definitely not what he had been expecting. _Maybe something truly was wrong with Neal? _Sitting in on the couch where Mozzie had set three hours previously, Peter turned to Neal, "_What is so damn interesting on that wall? All I see is white chips of paint." _saying in a sarcastic tone.

Neal snapping out of his funk, turned his head to Peter and responded with a slight smirk, "_it's a clean slate." _this sudden comment startled Peter.

"_So I take it that Mozzie sent you here to check on me?"_ Neal asked turning back to the blank wall.

"_Yea. After I calmed him down enough to understand what he was saying. He is really worried about you Neal! That is in a Mozzie kind of way." _Peter responded with concern in his tone.

"_There is no reason to be. I'll be fine, just need time to figure things out." _Neal responded thoughtfully.

_"It's not Neal's style to sit on his couch all day staring at a blank wall while holding on to a bottle from your past for dear life. So are you going to cut the bull and tell me what's going on in that mind of yours or are we going to go on with this small talk bit?" _Peter replied sternly, starting to get a little bit irritated with the way Neal was acting towards him.

Neal didn't know what to say to that response. He didn't even know himself what was going on with him. Life just felt meaningless and incomplete for the first time in his entire life.

_"I don't know Peter. I just feel like I have to purpose in life anymore. I was a con artist only because of Mozzie and Kate. Kate's gone now and all my plans for us have disincarnated. I have a clean slate now that Adlier and Kate are both gone, and Fowler is behind bars. The problem is I don't know who I am. I don't have any reason to hide behind an alias and take a different identity. So who am I?" _ Neal asked with confusion and vulnerability in his voice. Peter had always been someone that Neal could trust undoubtedly with anything.

_"You're Neal Caffrey. __FBI__Consultant__, partner, and friend. A human being like everyone else who just needs to figure out what he wants in life. It'll come to you Neal, trust me on that one. Be the best person you can be and live life to the fullest while you can and you'll have no regrets at the end of this life." _Peter seemed confident that Neal would be alright after some time, he just needed to feel like he had a purpose in life, since his one purpose was taken wrongly from him in that plane explosion.

_"Thank you, Peter. You have always seen the good in me and sometimes I could start to as well because of you. You're a great friend. I just need a couple days to get my head straight; you think that would be okay? I won't try and run, there isn't anything out there for me anymore." _Neal asked with a smirk, making Peter smile as well, knowing that Neal was right when he said there wasn't any reason to run now that everyone he cared for was still here around him.

_"Sure. Take the weekend and then I'll see you bright and early Monday morning. If you look too hard, you just might miss what you're looking for. Goodnight Neal." _Was all Peter said and with a nod from Neal he left the apartment headed home to his wife for a hopefully pleasant weekend. As for Neal he needed a new change of scenery, so he dressed up and headed out into the new world as Neal Caffrey to find the true identity of Neal Caffrey.


	4. Chapter 3

Neal walked into the bar down the street. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, a black button up shirt, with his classic devour hat placed perfectly on his shaggy black hair. He didn't look like the usual Neal, but he definitely didn't look bad either. If you didn't know him you'd figure him for a regular guy who would come to the bar to hear the show, have a few drinks, and pick up a chick or two. This was definitely not the normal scene for Neal Caffrey, but then again what would be the normal scene for him? Start out small and work your way up was what his mother use to tell him, so that's exactly what he had done.

Grabbing a seat at the bar, he ordered a beer, paying for it, then taking a long sip before glancing around the bar taking in the scenery of it all. It was a small bar with maybe five or six tables encircling the crescent moon shape of the Stage sitting directly in front of the bar. There was a band playing jazz music on the stage while a few couples slowly danced on the dance floor below it. The lights were dimmed and you could make out a few groups of people sitting at the tables, some chatting, while others looked as though they might pass out from intoxication. Neal could get use to this scene.

Just as he was starting to get into the music and had kicked back at least three beers by now, a group of girls walked in and straight over to the table placed directly in front of the stage. They were all dressed as though they were clubbing and looked to be at least in their late 20's, not to mention pretty buzzed. Three of the girls went out onto the dance floor and started dancing a drunken' dance that he was sure wasn't to any beat unparticular. This was definitely interesting to say the least.

The girl that got his attention the most though was the girl sitting at the table twirling the straw in her soda, pegging her as the designated driver of the group. She was definitely different from the rest of the girls that were in her group. Wearing her hair down in a flowing manner down her back, she was slim and full figured, wearing a baby doll top that tied in the back and a pair of worn blue jeans with tennis shoes to match the top. She was not something you saw every day at a bar. But that was all he could tell for her back was facing him.

As he was staring off at the girl in front of him, he never even noticed the girl who had approached him and seated herself beside him at the bar ordering a beer as well, until she spoke startling him, "_Your out of her league, she's more of the goody tissues type." _she said before taking another swig from her beer.

_"Goody Tissues? I have never heard that terminology before." _ Neal responded turning back around to face the bar, ordering his fourth beer.

"_Yea it's what I call girls and guys who act like their better than everyone else and treat people as though they are tissues, whenever their done with one, they throw them out and grab a new one, with no regard to how that person feels or not." _she said with a slight smirk before looking back down at her beer as though in thought.

"_I take it you got tired of being on the Tissue end of that type of relationship?"_ Neal said with concern and knowing.

"_Yes. Not going down that road again. Just once I'd like to find a man that will treat me like an equal and want to spend time with me for who I am and not to get into my pants, just so he can drop me like a rock and go after the next piece of ass he sees. I'm looking for the long haul ya know? What about you? Are you married? Or have a girlfriend? Have any children?" _She asked looking into his Blue eyes as she asked.

He was mesmerized by her bright shining green eyes, filled with pain and loss that mimicked his exact feelings. This was one person who understood him in a way that he never thought was possible. Maybe not in the same manner but in general had been through a lot in her short life time. He pegged her to be at least 25 and yet she was no Kate in any means, she was still beautiful to the eyes.

"_Single. No kids. I take it your single? Bad break up I'm guessing from the Tissue terminology? Have any children?" _ Neal said back with the same tone she used, still staring into her green eyes.

"_You could say it was a bad break up. Hmm… yea. I don't have any children. I'd love to have them one day that is if I ever find my perfect match. What about you? Plan to settle down in the near future?" _She asked taking another swig of her beer.

"_Honestly I still try to figure out where I stand in this world right now. I haven't gotten that far yet." _Neal replied with a nervous chuckle.

"_Soul searching is always fun. You can be anyone you want if you just put your mind to it. I'm looking for myself as well, especially after that bad break up. I want to be more than a notch in some guy's belt." _Was all she said as she started to drift off as though she was reliving something from her past? She then looked up to Neal and thanked him for a lovely chat and that she should get going.

_ "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."_ she said as she turned and started to walk out the bar. Feeling a sudden feeling of loss and panic he quickly exited the bar to track down the beautiful stranger he had just had the most interesting conversation with, realizing that he didn't even know her name. Exiting the bar he looked both ways for a trace of her current direction, finding nothing.

She had disappeared as quickly as she had appeared into her life. Was she a figment of his imagination? No, she was real, and Neal had confidence he'd see her again real soon, bending down and picking up picture Id that was lying on the ground. She had left him a bread crumb that would lead him back into the path of this woman.


	5. Chapter 4

Neal set in his apartment drinking a beer while twirling the ID he had found outside the bar. So far all he knew was that her name was "Aphrodite LeAnn Hallowell" age 26 and last known address was a P.O. Box in Georgia. Two possibilities could be made from this ID. One, she could be traveling around either on a vacation or job related trip. Two this could be a fake Id, meaning either she was a criminal/con like he had used to be or was working for FBI, Black OP, or some undercover job.

This was no good. If he was trying to change and keep his new slate clean he definitely didn't need to get wrapped up in a girl who was just like he was in the con artist industry. Then again if she was an agent or undercover cop then that wouldn't be all that bad now would it? She definitely wouldn't be getting him in trouble with the law, maybe straining his criminal contacts a bit, but that was bound to happen now that Kate and Adlier were no longer in the picture and Mozzie was the only one left. The fact that Peter kept burning his aliases and facades wasn't helping either.

Then it dawned on him, criminal or agent didn't really matter. What if she was in trouble? Maybe she knew him or thought he'd be able to help her in some way. With this now in the for front of his mind he started to go over word by word what she had said to him and replaying all actions and gestures she had given looking for a coded message still twirling the card around in his hands as he did so. This could be something he would need his team for to figure out. Picking up the phone he texted both Peter and Mozzie telling them to meet him at his apartment a.s.a.p., if she was in trouble then she didn't have much time.

Peter was first to arrive with Mozzie trailing in shortly after. Once they were all standing in his apartment around the table he addressed them both, "_I met this girl last night. I didn't think anything of it until this afternoon when I was twirling around the __ID__ she dropped on her way out the bar. It's definitely fake, what I don't know is if its __FBI__ related or Con related, but what I do know is that she is in some kind of danger." _

_ "_How would you know if she was in danger? Did she tell you?" Peter asked feeling as though this was going to be some dumb attempt to find a girl that Neal had some sort of obsession for, instead of an actual case possibility.

"I was going over all of her actions, gestures, and word choices in our conversation trying to pick up a clue or hint. I found three possibilities, which is where you two come in. I need you, Mozzie, to check your entire inside contact to find out who the girl is in this ID. Peter I need you to rack the FBI and New York Police Department data base to see if you can find any undercover cops or agents that are off the grid or that is trying to bust a big industry criminals. She's definitely not just an ordinary civilian or con artist." Neal explained in a tone that made Peter decide not to challenge today.

"Okay I'm on it, text you as soon as I know something." Mozzie said taking a quick pic of the ID with his phone and walking out the door.

"If this means that much to you, I'll help you with this. But if this is some type of trick to get something you shouldn't have there will be hell to pay. Understand?" Peter asked Neal sternly.

"She's in danger Peter. I just know it. I won't let what happened to Kate, happen to her as well." Neal said grabbing is jacket and pocketing the ID before heading towards the door turning to give one more glance towards Peter before heading out the door to the car parked at the entrance. This was going to be a long day at the office, especially since Neal was not going to let up on this "Damsel in Distress" bit.


	6. Chapter 5

At the office Neal quickly started getting to work trying to locate a document or file on the woman from the bar. This would be tricky, for if she was an agent then there probably weren't any files for her; the FBI tends to make people disappear when they go undercover. Hopefully they had missed something, anything that would locate where she was posted, where she was from or maybe what her true name was.

"Neal, I think I might have located your mystery woman." Was all Peter said as he took another sip from his coffee mug.

"Let me see that." Neal replied taking the folder out of Peter's hands.

"It says here she's a con artist from Georgia, whom they are using for a stand in as an agent that was killed in the line of duty. Her name is Melisa Hartsmith." Neal read from the file. That was definitely her, since the picture matched perfectly with the image on the fake ID in his pocket. Neal was about to ask where she was posted when his phone started vibrating.

Mozzie had left him a cryptic text message as always "Blue berry hill at the set of dawn." Which meant meet him on the balcony of his apartment in thirty minutes, and that he definitely dug up some information on her.

"Mozzie found something, he wants to me at my place in thirty." Neal said as he walked out of Peters office heading for the elevator, sure that Peter was giving him a look of "Oh great!" It didn't take long before they were all seated at the table on the balcony, going over what Peter had found in the FBI data base. Mozzie informed us, "I talked to an old contact who said that the girl went by the name of Tish, and that she was picked up by the feds about three weeks ago for stealing the pearl diamonds from the bank safe. They put her in as a stand in for an agent that was killed while under cover and the feds couldn't afford to lose this guy when they were so close. They bargained that if she went undercover and handed them this guy that they wouldn't charge her for theft, and robbery." Mozzie explained.

Neal couldn't believe it, she was just like him. She must have been after something other than pearl earrings if she was a con artist. No con would go after trivial things like earrings. She might as well shopped lifted a pair for that expense, but that's beside the point. The only guy they could be referring to would be the same guy we were after ourselves, the one and only Keller. Peter is going to love this!

Peter left shortly after we figured out what she was doing and who she truly was. We would meet here in the morning and work out a plan to locate her and help her bag Keller, since that was Peters main agenda "Bagging Keller once again." As for Neal he couldn't sleep, thoughts of the night he met her and the oddness of her being caught just didn't make sense. Why steal a diamond necklace from a bank safe? If I had access to a bank safe under detection then I'd take more than just a diamond necklace, unless I was either trying to get caught or seeing how easy it was to get in to the safe undetected?

That's when it hit him like a rock in the face. She was working for someone else. This was all a set up on the FBI to get her to go under cover and deliver a message while keeping Keller and whom ever she is working for one step ahead of the Feds! Peter was going to love where this case has turned to. With that Neal went to bet noting to tell Peter this first thing in the morning.


	7. Chapter 6

Neal was awoken to a loud knock on the door. Stumbling out of bed Neal answered the door to a very happy Mozzie and a slightly aggravated Peter, in only his boxers. Peter walked in first simply saying, "Get dressed, we'll be on the deck waiting," before heading to the deck with Mozzie in tow.

It didn't take long for Neal to explain what he had figured out the night before, and for Mozzie, Peter, and himself to come to the conclusion that they needed to bate her and Keller to discover who the puppeteer to this whole operation was. This plan would have to come together rather quickly and consist of a way for Neal to get in on their side to get the scoop and sift it to Peter in time to stop their master plan, put the puppeteer behind bars, and save Tish before she became a wanted criminal.

"This won't be easy, since Keller knows I'm working for you," Neal said in a calm tone.

"And I for sure can't go under or else I'll ruin the whole operation," Peter responded.

"Unless… what if we took off Neal's brace and put a state wide search for him, making people think he ran. All Neal has to do is get Keller to believe that Neal is in fact back in the con artist business and we are in." Mozzie explained, feeling proud of his plan.

"But what would make me run? Adlier took everything that would give me a motive to run." Neal pointing out a flaw in Mozzie's well thought out plan.

"Yes, it would definitely have to be reasonable, and believable to people who knew Neal and how he operates," Peter concluded.

"That's simple, Tish!" Mozzie said full of confidence.

"Tish?" Both Peter and Neal spoke in unison with a confused look on their faces.

"Yes… Tish. You said yourself that you were intrigued by how much Tish understood you and how alike you both were, plus you've been looking for her ever sense. Say you run to find her and make a deal with Keller in the processes that if you help him get past the feds that he'll let Tish go. You get the information, set up Keller, and lead us to the puppeteer and save the girl. Booyah! Case solved!" Mozzie said slamming his fist in the air in a victory salute.

"That my friend might work, what do you think Neal? If you play it off as though you've replaced the whole in your heart that Kate created with the help of Adlier, with Tish and the bond you have recently created with her. Just convince Keller and I believe the rest will just fall in place." Peter concluded again.

They chatted for a bit more before Mozzie left to scout out god knows what, while Peter and Neal headed back to the office to start working on Neal's escape plan and how to make Neal's running believable to all the cons in New York including and majorly Keller. This definitely going to be a difficult plan, but if all went well they would have Tish home safe and this case wrapped up in time for his trip to morocco with Elizabeth in two weeks.


	8. Chapter 7

Sirens were breaking out and helicopters were flying in the air. The news was buzzing and people were gossiping. New York City looked as though it was a clip from King Kong.

Neal Caffrey and Mozzie were now on the run, hiding from the feds and their helicopters in an underground safe house for con artists. It wasn't long before they received a call on their disposable phone giving them a meeting place and time.

Neal and Mozzie waited in the ally outside of the main bank in New York, when a black limo entered in and up to where they were standing. None other than Keller himself stepped out of the limo and waltzed up to them wearing a black suit and shiny black shoes. He looked like a penguin but Neal wasn't going to say that out loud at this particular moment.

"If it isn't Neal Caffrey himself. I see you've managed to get your brain back." Keller said with a smirk.

"Yea, well love has a way of screwing up your life." Neal retorted mimicking Keller's smirk.

"I see, I've never let my heart get in the way with my business, so I wouldn't know about that. I guess if I ever feel like falling in love I'll just take a look at your life and get my feel that way." Keller responded with a chuckle.

"Laugh all you want Keller, but if it wasn't for Kate then I wouldn't of ever been as good as I was. You're just jealous because you're not as good. So now that we've jabbed at each other can we get on with what we came here to discuss." Neal said finally getting tired of this cat mouse game.

"Oh I touched a nerve. Well anyways, down to business, why should I trust you and let you in on what I'm planning? How do I know you won't just turn on me? Run back to your fed like an obedient puppy?" Keller asked popping his eyebrow as he finished.

"That's simple, you have something I want and I have something you want. An even trade." Neal responded never even blinking.

"And what might this even trade consist of?" Keller asked seeming to be interested.

"I can help you evade the feds and you can make sure that Tish gets out of this Scott free, with no record or a single scratch. Do we have a deal?" Neal asked.

"Let me get this straight. You'll help me stay out from under the feds radar and I promise to not let Tish get involved or go down for anything that goes on? Hmm. Seems I underestimated you. You didn't run because you missed the business, you ran to save a damsel in distress. Ha-ha that my friend is priceless. A true prince charming. Hahaha. Well if that is all you're asking for then we have a deal, but if you double cross me I'll put all this on her so tightly that you'll only see her through bars for the rest of your life. Deal?" Keller contested, sticking his hand out in a hand shaking gesture.

"You have a deal." Neal replied shaking Keller's hand before Keller turned around and headed back to his limo, shouting back over his shoulder, "I'll get in touch with you when I get things in play, till then lay low and don't make any stupid moves that involve our enemies, the Feds," before getting in the limo and disappearing from the alley.

Turning to Mozzie, "we're in; I just hope that Peter can stop this before Keller gets suspicious. I won't let him hurt her Moz. I lost Kate, I almost lost you, I won't lose Peter or Tish next." Neal nodded his head towards the ground and then started walking back down to their temporary home and safe haven, till Keller got in touch.


	9. Chapter 8

Neal walked to the abandoned warehouse and knocked on the door three times as instructed prior by an encrypted text message from Keller. The door unlocked and was answered by a rather large fellow. Following him, Neal noticed that the warehouse was filled with boxes that looked to be getting ready to be shipped across sea. Go figure, Keller would be shipping American goodies to other countries to sell on the black market.

"Neal, good to see your still on board." Was all Keller said without even turning around to make eye contact with Neal.

"Yea. Well a deal is a deal. What is the game plan here? I want to get this over with so I can get back to my life." Neal replied with a popped eyebrow as to look serious.

"Always the serious one I see. Agent Burke has rubbed off on you, making you colder than you use to be. Well we can fix that. I need you to deter the FBI in a different direction so I can finish the deal I have." Keller responded before making eye contact with Neal as he set down in his office chair.

"Deter them how? Well they want me so send them in the other direction long enough for me to finish here and then get out of the country unnoticed." Keller replied with a shake of his had he continued, "well off to it. And Neal remember, you cross me and I'll kill her."

Neal went straight out the building and down the street where he met up with Peter at their designated meeting spot.

"Keller is up to something, but I'll never know if I don't do as he asks and play along. He wants me to deter you and the FBI in the opposite direction. I can work the inside if you'll just over look what you know right now till I give you the word." Neal explained.

"I'm taking a giant leap of faith here with you Neal. You have no brace and no way to track you and now you want me to turn my cheek the other way and not know anything till I get the word from you. Don't cross me Neal. I'm trusting you and it's not just my life and job on the line here." Peter retorted.

"I won't let you down Peter, I haven't run yet nor do I plan to. Just have faith in me and wait for my signal. I'll see you later. Wish me luck." Neal said as he turned and headed back to where he had left Mozzie.

As Peter was finishing up at the office he got a strange number appearing on his caller id of his cell phone. Picking it up and putting it to his ear after hitting the answer button he heard,

"Agent Burke. It's good to finally be able to speak with you. It seems that we have come to an impasse if you would say so. I expect you to leave this case with the puppeteer as you call me and my business with Neal and Keller. If you choose not to then I guess I'll have no choice but to dispose of this very beautiful woman by the name of Elizabeth. It was nice talking to you Peter." A strange man had just told him to stop searching this case or Elizabeth would be his next target. Getting a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, Peter grabbed his coat and ran out the door to his car to get home as quickly as possible. Elizabeth was in danger and he had to get to her before the puppeteer did.


End file.
